USC to compete in Charlotte Invitational
South Carolina’s women’s cross country team will travel to Charlotte this weekend to participate in the Charlotte Invitational at McAlpine Park.
The Gamecocks performed well in their last meet, the Commodore Classic in Nashville, Tenn. Out of 24 teams in attendance, South Carolina finished seventh overall.
“It was a good meet, not a great meet,” said coach Stan Rosenthal. “There were eight SEC teams, and we only beat two, so that still puts us — at this point — below where we hope to end up in the SEC.
“But still, we beat every non-SEC team but one, which was Eastern Kentucky, and they’re a very good team.”
Freshman Kayla Lampe finished in second place with a time of 21:06.24. Senior Chelsea France also had an impressive run, recording a 21:47.03 time.
“With Kayla, we’re going to have one of the top — I would say — 10 runners in the SEC. And Chelsea’s top 20 at this point,” Rosenthal said.
However, Rosenthal noted there was a wide margin between those two runners and the rest of the team. If the team can close the gap, Rosenthal said it’ll race “a lot higher.”
“Everybody on the team is training hard to improve,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of getting to a fast start and working to maintain those spots.
“They have to work on getting themselves out in front and fighting a little better,” Rosenthal said. “They did a good job at Vanderbilt in getting out ... We didn’t do as good of a job as we needed to hold on to those spots when we work to get out.”
Rosenthal recognized the difficulty of starting the race with a fast pace, saying it can cause a runner to be more tired earlier in the race. The team will have a tough test in Charlotte this weekend as the Gamecocks seek to implement the race plan.
“In Charlotte, after about 600 meters, the course narrows down and makes a 90-degree turn to the right, and then it stays narrow, and then it twists and turns,” Rosenthal said. “So it’s really hard to pass. Everyone gets backed up because everyone that got out fast tries to slow down.”
Charlotte’s race will also feature some of the best teams in the Carolinas, including Clemson, Wake Forest and East Carolina. Despite the stiff competition, Rosenthal believes his team is capable of displaying a strong showing.
“There are certainly 10 teams that are as good as us, if not better,” he said. “We could be anywhere in the top 10.
“The teams that can beat us are able to put their pack in front of our pack. So if our pack can break them up, then we can beat those teams because we’re better up front. That’s really what we have to do. The girls know that, and they’re working hard.”
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